2016 continues its grim toll with the passing of AA Gill on Saturday. A marmite figure for sure, but I never read anything he wrote which I didn’t enjoy. His books of travel writing always throw up interesting perspectives and views, showing he was far from a right wing Clarkson lite figure. And his “Sap Rising” – famously reviewed by the Guardian with a “Do not buy this book” (they immediately put the quote on the cover) is a hilarious and quite outrageous romp. I didn’t keep up with his newspaper columns but I’ll dig out the travel book later and re-read his piece on the visit to Dachau. Stunning stuff.
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Gatz says
He was a pro active writer, and I duly allowed myself to be provoked by him (and enjoyed it too!) But he also wrote the pro remain referendum article which best articulated my thoughts during the campaign. A side issue given the sad news, but before I heard about his illness I had no idea that he used to be married to Amber Rudd.
Bargepole says
Tragic too early loss of a superb and thought provoking journalist and author.
retropath2 says
Didn’t like “him” the personality, but his books and columns, TV and dining out, were a master class of construction. Have a few of his books, way more thoughtful than the image projected, as of so many journaliteralists.
fortuneight says
His article in today’s ST Magazine is a sobering and indeed (as Bargepole says) thought provoking. An honest and balanced account of both the good and the bad of treatment in the NHS. A shame that the NHS rebuffed his interest in writing about them further. Although the sub-ed’s headline for Gill’s piece – “AA Gill believed in the NHS. In the end, it couldn’t deliver” is probably an indication of why.
“Pour Me” is a great read. There were quite a few things I didn’t like about him, but some of his writing was superb.
ernietothecentreoftheearth says
There are all sorts of things that are wrong with and which go wrong within the NHS. That said, I suspect that it would be significantly more effective if we spent the same proportion of GDP on health as countries. This would require most of us either paying more in taxation or more in health insurance. I don’t know whether A.A. Gill would have supported this.
Dodger Lane says
I’d never taken him all that seriously after his smirking double act with Jeremy Clarkson on t.v, but I enjoyed reading his reviews. There is nothing wrong in being provocative and it was largely a pose given that in private he would appear to have been a thoughtful and charming man. I shall have to read some of his books, maybe his Pour Me memoir which seems to be well regarded.
Moose the Mooche says
I thought he was a prick until I read his 2009 piece Old Age: State Care Homes are the Final Resort – if you can get through the Times paywall, have a look at it – otherwise it’s in one of his anthologies. If you read nothing else by him, read that. It’s easily the best thing on the subject of getting (properly) old that I’ve ever read.
Dogbyte says
Something I hadn’t realised is that Gill was dyslexic. Knowing that makes the quality of his writing seem even more remarkable.
http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/12/aa-gill-1954-2016/
muffler says
His book of travel pieces – AA Gill is away – has been my bathtime reading for the past few weeks. It’s a tremendous collection of beautifully written, funny and often very thoughtful essays. Often disagreed with him but he was a real talent.
Sitheref2409 says
He did, I seem to remember, at least one piece with Clarkson travelling to Scandinavia, which was bordering on puerile with its incessant references to statuesque blondes.
Still incredibly well written. He will, I think, be missed.
dai says
Sad news for his family of course, but anyone who calls a race of people “loquacious, dissemblers, immoral liars, stunted, bigoted, dark, ugly, pugnacious little trolls” was not a good person even if he could string words together well.
Twang says
I agree that’s a stupid thing to say, speaking as someone proud of his Welsh blood. But trusting the art rather than the artist, I still enjoy vast swathes of his writing despite that sentence.